Apparatus for forming mineral wool



Sept. 21, 1954 c. D. RICHARDSON APPARATUS FOR FORMING MINERAL. WOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 25, 1952 ATTORNEY Sept. 21, 1954 c. o. RICHARDSON 2,689,373

APPARATUS FOR FORMING MINERAL WOOL Filed June 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 21, 1954 APPARATUS FOR FORMING MINERAL WOOL Charles D. Richardson, Anna, 11]., assignor to Charles Richardson Corporation, Muneie, Ind.

Application June 25, 1952, Serial No. 295,528

I V 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to the manufacture of mineral wool and particularly to an improved machine for converting molten slag into fibrous materials.

In forming mineral wool, the modern practice has been to melt the slag or other inorganic material and then subject the molten material to a fluid blast. The material is cooled below its melting point and attenuated into relatively long, soft fibers. The apparatus of the present invention is related to and generally represents an improvement over my earlier and co-pending applications, Serial Nos. 215,463, 278,679 and 237,508, all relating to method and apparatus for forming mineral wool.

It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus for simply and economically forming mineral wool of low density and with a minimum of shot.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus for forming. mineral wool which will give a greater volume of fiber for the quantity of slay used than any previously known method and apparatus and which will produce fiber of maximum resiliency.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a spinning head and shaft for such apparatus wherein a cooling fluid is continuously supplied, and wherein such fluid supply is so arranged as to give maximum cooling to the head and shaft without excessively cooling the slag, and wherein the viscosity of the slag may be controlled within given limits.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus having a simplified but improved described, illustrated in the accompanying draw- 4 ings and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and: i

Fig. 1 is aside elevational view of the apparatus used in carrying out the method and showing the spinning apparatus in relative position to the well known melting cupola and collection chamber.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, front elevational view of the improved spinning head and its associated blast nozzle.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view, partly broken away, taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2, disclosing important details of the improved spinning head and associated blast nozzle and indicating the travel path of the melt.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of spinning head and which may be substituted, if desired, for the disc form shown in Fig. 3.

In the drawings, the reference numeral H] indicates the standard cupola in which the slag or other inorganic material is raised to the desired temperature and forms the melt which is fed to the spinner head. The cupola I0 is provided with a spout II and the melt travels in a thin stream to the slag through I2 which may be adjustably positioned to direct the stream of slag to the proper spot on the spinning head.

When the fibers are formed by a fluid blast, as will be later described, the blast directs the fibers into the standard settling chamber I 3 which is provided with a conveyor belt 14 to carry away the massed fibers for packaging or further processing.

To carry the improved spinning head of the present invention there is provided a table frame [5. The table frame I5 is provided with a top l6 which is pivotally connected to the frame by the'hinges II. To the underside of the: table top 16 there is attached a depending frame structure I8 of any desired detail upon which is mounted the motor IS.

The purpose of the hinged top I6 is to permit the spinning head hereinafter described to be set at any desired angle to the horizontal. The mounting of the motor IS on the structure de pending from the table top causes the motor shaft to remain at all times parallel to the shaft of the spinning head.

In order to hold the table top [6 in any selected position the top has pivotally attached thereto a slotted arm 20. Secured to the table is a threaded bolt 2!. A thumb screw 22 may be turned down against the slotted arm 2Q to lock the arm and the table in fixed position.

Mounted on the table top I16 and secured thereto by the bolts 23 are the journal boxes: 24 which house any desired standard type of bearings.

Journalled in the bearings for rotation about its longitudinal axis is the pipe shaft and to the outer end of said shaft is fixedly attached the pulle 25. This pulley is driven by the belt 21 which is driven by the pulley 28 mounted on the shaft of the motor 19.

concentrically positioned within the pipe shaft 25 is a smaller syphon pipe 29, the inner end of which extends just slightly beyond the inner end of the pipe shaft 25, as is shown in Fig. 3.

At the outer end of the pipe shaft 25 is located a fixed pipe T 30. For joining the fixed T 30 and the rotatable pipe shaft .25 there is provided a high speed, flexible coupling of the syphon type known as the Barco joint. ,Ahose or other conduit 32 supplies cooling fluid to the pipe T 30 and a valve 33 controls the movement of such fluid. A hose or the like 34 conducts fluid from the siphon pipe 29.

At the inner end of the pipe shaft 25 is positioned the improved-spinning head and its associated annular blast nozzle.

The spinning head includes the cylindrical wall 35 and the end wall 36. The ends of the pipe shaft 25 and syphon pipe 29 project through the end wall 35 into the-chamber. A threaded nut 31 is secured by welding or otherwise to the end wall 36 and by means of this nut 31 the spinner head may be threadedly engaged with the inner end of the pipe shaft. To look the high speed head on the shaft there are provided the lock nut 38 and washer 39.

The cylindrical wall '35 of the spinning head is provided with an outwardly turned annular flange 40. Removably secured to the bead by the bolts 42 is the spinning disc 4|. This disc 4| may be provided with a slightly cupped surface 43 as shown in Fig. 3, or as extensive experiments have indicated, it may be left flat'with fully satisfactory results.

Surrounding the spinner head, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is a fi-berizing blast nozzle generally designated by the reference-numeral 44.

The nozzle is formedof an annular, hollow ring 45 which is substantially square in cross-section. This ring has frame members 46 and 4'! attached thereto, as by welding, and bolts 48 securely fasten the cap 44 to the table tap i=6.

In the front wall of the ring 45 is formed the substantially continuous slot 4 5, preferably about .030 in. in width, and through this slot passes the fluid blast, steam or air, which intercepts the fine streams of slag from the spinning disc 4!. However, in order to provide a travel path for the stream of molten slag as it spills from the trough [2, approximately two inches of the slot is blocked, preferably by welding, as at 50.

It will be seen that this block purposely breaks the continuity of the annular blast. As the fine streams of slag spinoff of the disc 4! in all directions, part of the streams pass at an angle through this break in the curtain of fiberizing fluid. Therefore, to intercept these angularly travelling streams, and at the same time to avoid interference with the main stream which falls vertically onto the disc, there are provided a series of drilled holes 5|. These several fluid jets intercept any streams which travel through the break in the curtain at an angle. Since the fine streams will be thrown tangentially from the disc 4| and since the disc is spun in a clockwise direction, as indicated by the :arrow of Fig. 2, the streams in the 2" sector will be effectivel intercepted by the fluid from the apertures, since these streams must travel transversely of the vertical line. However, the main supply stream drops vertically and finds its way without interception to the spinner head.

It is necessary that the blast nozzle 44 fit closely around the spinning head or large amounts of shot will be formed. As the steam rushes from the annular slot 49 an area of low pressure is formed in the space between the blast nozzle 44 and spinning head, and cold air inlarge volume is drawn through the spa-ce'to form large quantities of shot. To cut ofl or reduce this air floW to the minimum, the hollow ring 45 is formed with an inwardly directed extension '52. Between this extension and an annular clamping ring 53 is placed an annular sealing gasket or packing 55. The clamping ring 53 is held by machine screws 54. The packing 55 is preferably formed of several layers of wire screen of 16 to 20 mesh but may be of any known material for the purpose not easily broken down by high temperatures.

In order to 'admit steam or air to the hollow ring 45, there is attached to or formed in the side wall the internally threaded boss 6 I. This boss-is connected by suitable conduits to a source of high fluid pressure, these conduits and connections I being designated by the refernecenurneralfl and shown fraginentarily in Fig. l.

The distance between the annular slot 49 and the edge of the spinning disc 4! has been found to be critical, and extensive experiments have shown that this distance must not be over two inches, a distance of one and one-eighth inches being the most effective.

An alternate form of spinning head 55 is shown in Fig. 4. This head includes an end Wall 57 which is apertured and threaded as at '58 to receiveithe pipe shaft 25, a cylindrical side wall 59, and an inset cup 63. This form of spinning head provides increased area for the cooling fluid and also provides a greater surface for cooling the .slag as .it is carried around the cup'and spun off .in a plurality of line streams.

The operation of the device is as follows. The

pipe shaft and table top 16 is first adjusted to the desired angle. The apparatus will operate acceptablyin a substantially horizontal position as shown in Fig. l. The centrifugal action of the disc 4| and the aspirator effect of the fluid blast through the annular slot 49 causes a lowered pressure at the center of the disc. The stream of slag drops through the break in the fluid curtain formed by the block 50 and is sucked on to the center of the disc by the lowered pressure. In practice the preferred angle for the shaft .and head has been found to be about 45. The motor [9 is then started and the speed adjusted to the viscosity of the melt. The valve 33 is then opened and cooling fluid is circulated inwardly through the pipe shaft 25 and outwardly through the siphon pipe 29. Steam or high pressure air is then turned into the blast nozzle 44 setting up the blast curtain as shown in Fig. 1. Slag is then directed from the trough II in a fine stream on to the spinning disc 4! just slightly above the axial center. A fine spray of slag is then thrown off tangentially from the disc 4| at all points, whereupon it is intercepted by the fluid blast and cooled and attenuated into fibers which are collected in the settling chamber.

It may be emphasized that an important feature of the invention is the fact that the cooling fluid'is supplied through the pipe shaft 25 and is discharged through the syphon tube 29. The main problem of an apparatus of this sort is to cool the spinning head and bearings without excessive cooling of the slag which will cause it to chill and adhere to the spinning head. ,Usually, the fluid in the return pipe is in the form of steam, since the water circulation must be restricted to avoid chill. The supply of cold water to the pipe shaft cools the shaft and bearings first and to the maximum amount. Within certain limits the control of the fluid flow, and especially in the form of head as shown in Fig. 4, may be used to control the viscosity of the melt and thus the diameter of the fibers.

While there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

Apparatus for spinning mineral wool fibers including a hollow cylindrical spinning head, means to rotate said head, means for establishing a flow of cooling fluid therethrough, means for directing a stream of molten material to the outer surface of said head, and an annular blast nozzle closely surrounding said head and having apertures therein directing a blast of fluid transversely of the edge of said head to intercept the fine streams of molten material thrown tangentially from the head, said blast nozzle further having a resilient sealing ring attached thereto and a free annular skirt contacting the surface of said cylindrical spinning head at the inner end thereof to seal the annular space between said blast nozzle and said spinning head against a current of cold atmospheric air. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 65,339 Butcher, Jr. et al. June 4, 1867 687,524 Fellner Nov. 26, 1901 1,051,844 Passow Jan. 28, 1913 1,834,687 Davis Dec. 1, 1931 2,318,244 McClure May 4, 1943 2,328,714 Drill et a1. Sept. 7, 1943 2,470,569 Meighan et al May 17, 1949 2,587,710 Downey Mar. 4, 1952 

